Apparatus for washing discrete units of solid materials



B. C. SKINNER Filed Jan. 7, 1948 APPARATUS FOR WASHING DISCRETE UNITS OFSOLID MATERIALS T ll wmw Se t? 30;" I952 INVENTOR BY fimm %13071,

ArPAaA rUs oR wAs'nINoprscRE'rE Bronson-C. Skinn'efi- Dunedin, Fla.,assignot to :Clinton' Foods'lnc.;'l\lew York, N. Y.', a corpora- JtionofDelaware Application Januai-y 7, 1948, Serial ndijo sf l Claimf (Cl.134-132) a The present invention washing moving masses of solidmaterials in the form of discrete units and, more particularly,.to

washing citrus fruit peel pieces from whicha' pectin product maybesubsequently extracted;

and the present application discloses apparatus useful in practicing theprocess claimed in pending application Serial No. 499,088, filed.

August 18, 1943, issued as Patent No. 2,455,382.

A general-object of the presentinvention is to provide a simple andeconomically constructed and operated apparatus which will thoroughlyrelates to apparatus for.

PATENT 'oF F'Icfsff guana through. A washing liquid supply is-[providedwash such solid materials in washing liquid of 1 less specific gravityand will permit efllcient separation of lighter foreign particles mixed.

with discrete units ofthe solid materials, and which is adapted toperform those functions during-continuous movement or flow of thediscrete units.

A more specific object of the invention is the provision of suchapparatus whichmay be employed to advantage in a continuous flowprocedure of producing a pectin product from citrus fruit peel pieceswith efficient washing of the latter while effectively separatingtherefrom particles of rag and pulp. 7

An additional object of the invention is the provision of such apparatuswhich will efficiently perform a washing procedure characterized bymovement of peel pieces through flowing wash water with turbulence tocarry off by flotation particles of rag and pulp and to dissolve-out andremove from the peel at least certainpropo'rtio'ns of'sugars' andmineral matters and other extraneous substances, such as effectiveelimination of the bitterprinciple of grapefruit peel.

Other objects of the invention will in pa'rt'be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.-

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combination of elements and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplifled in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention will be indicated in the claim. v

For a fuller. understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and insection, of washer apparatus of ,the present invention, and showingcertain other apparatus associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1; and

continuously to maintain in the trough'a bath ofthe liquid of aspeciflc'gravityless than that on the material so that the latter sinksthereinto be moved therethrough by the conveyor. The

trough additionally has one or 'more spillways,-=

invention adapted'for' use "in 'aprocedurior making a pectin productfrom, citrus fruitpee'l and the illustrated parts areidntifiedby-s'imilar numerals throughout. therein shown the feed to the washingapparatus of thepresentin vention' may comprise a shredder 4* and asteamer 5 with the latter intended to preheat and water-log citrus fruitpeel shreds,- jas well'as loosen unwanted soluble materials trappedin'the cellular structure of thejpeel, andthe. const tion and operationsthereof aremorefully plained in the above identified patent;""The'steamer 5 has a discharge end 49 which is located above the receivingend of washing apparatus 6 of the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1and 2. That washing apparatus 6 comprises an elongated trough 5l,preferably constructed of wood, mounted substantially horizontally uponsuitable supports 52-52. Atypical embodiment of this apparatus may beabout sixty-five feet (65') long having a conveyor screw 53 thereinadapted to be rotated at a relatively slow speed, such as about tworevolutions per minute (2 R. P. M.), by its the roughis-preferablyprovidedalong at least one side thereof witha plurality ofoverflow slots- 59-59 which are adapted to spill water into a trough 60connected to a discharge conduit 61.;

In one typical operation of thewashingapsteam-treated water-logged.peelfi.

specific features of the invention herein dey scribechand. a.11.;statements of the scope of the 15jinyention:which;= .as :a matter oflanguage, might paratus 6,

shreds are dumped from the discharge end 49' of the steamer 5 into thereceiving endififir of. the washer 6. They sink to-thebottombfzthetrough,BI and are slowly moved along to the discharge end 55 by the screwconveyor 53 tov adis charge pipe 62 where they are drawn oil with water,such as by means of a centrifugalipump.v

(not shown) The slowly rotating screw conveyo'rz53, may; createsometurbulence in the water bath asido-the overhead sprays of water fromthe nozzles Bil-58. may be created in-the water bath by submerged air;lets. and with the provision of the flatter meansother than" spraynozzles 58-53 maybe employed to supply-water to the. trough ELor bothtypes of jets maybe used if-desireci. Treats mentvof'thepeel shreds inthe water bath results in extraction of non-pectin material. A PIQDDI'Ftion-ot the sugars andmineral matters are re-,- movedthereby and otherextraneous material;

suchxas the bitter principleoi, rapefruit peel may, be eliminated fromthepeel shreds; by the- Particles ofrag; and pulp; freed wash: water.from theepeel shreds will float in the:waterbat h and thus; by flotationwill beremoved with the water: overflowing 'throughfslots- 59-59 to theyPeel shreds which are removed trough 60. through the discharge pipe-B2thus have their sugar and mineral matters content reduced belowagcertain critical maximum sothat a liquor extracted-therefrom in acooker may be spray dried to-providei a satisfactoryproduct ready. foruse It isspreferredto usewater in thewashertat a 1 temperaturepof abouttwenty-five degrees centigrade (259 C.) in connection with thatparticular:

procedure.

The-apparatus will effectivelyseparate fromthe m'as'sof discrete unitsby flotation any foreign" particlesflighter thanthe washing liquid whichmay be, mixed. in. with thediscrete unitsto. be

Additional or other turbulence- It will thus be seen that the objectsset forth above and those made apparent from the preceding descriptionare efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in theabove construction and different embodiments of the invention could bemade without departing from the 'scope thereofiiit is intendedthat;alljmatter containedin the Iabove d'escriptidni-or shown in theaccompanying drawing shall be interpreted as; illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It isalso to. be understood that the following claimdjs-intended tocover all of the generic and be saidto fall therebetween.

Hailing described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is: Apparatus for washing discrete units of solidmaterials comprising anielongated trough of U- crosssection, a Vconveyor; screw in; said; trough substantially fully-occupyingrthebottom portion:

' thereof; saidconveyor screw. being:mounted 1f0r;

rotation,- spaced spray nozzles mounted; along: -th e;

trough: for. discharge of :water thereinto; an over-r flow. channelalong. one side of. said. trough deftermim'ng the water level of.saidxtrough, and;

adapted toreceive overflow water; and floating;- debris', and, adischargempening at-one-endzofj, said trough reaching; to thebottomz'lthereof adapted to: discharge; water. and" washed: solid:materialsheavier than waterrmoved. along by said'conveyor screw, saidother-.endlof: theztrough; I being adapted to receivediscrete;'unitstofgrsolidi materialsheavier than water.for;moyement;a1ong1 the trough 'by. said .conveyortscrew, said, conveyor,-screwiand water sprays'ibeing adapted to effect? a washing turbulence intheltrough:so;:that.ma:

terial placed in the trough is washed vthereby;

as it is movedalong to .said discharge; opening by said conveyor screw;and fioatable debrisoyebflows into said.overflow;channel. v BRONSDNSG.SKINNER;.

. REFERENGES siren lj Ihe following references'areofrecord in=thet=ifile ofthis patent: 1 a

UNITED STATESSPATEN'IES a Number Name Date 1.0 .952 Smith; -,,-.--o.-v.-ar:- 5 913: 1,294,519 Moxhamnn, Feb. 18; 1918: 1,3 75l,341r Vaudreuil p,

